Technology · List
Best Android Apps and Utilities You Can Get Outside Google Play Store
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In brief
Android users are not limited to Google Play: the open-source repository F-Droid, the anonymous Google Play client Aurora Store, the update tracker Obtainium, and the Shizuku-based catalog ShizuStore all distribute apps that the official store does not list or allow. Here are nine stores and utilities worth knowing, based on their own listings and reporting from MakeUseOf and Pocket-lint.
Several app catalogs and standalone utilities circulate outside Google Play, reaching users through direct APK downloads, open-source repositories, or dedicated installer apps. The list below groups the stores that host them with the individual tools that have drawn attention for doing things Google Play either restricts or does not offer.
Four ways apps reach your phone without Google Play
| Platform | What it is | Where its apps come from | Google account needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-Droid | Community-run repository of free and open-source apps | Built from open-source project code by F-Droid's own infrastructure | No |
| Aurora Store | Unofficial client for the Google Play catalog | Google Play's own servers, reached without the official app | No — personal or anonymous login |
| Obtainium | App-update tracker rather than a store | GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, APKPure, Aptoide and other release pages | No |
| ShizuStore | Catalog focused on Shizuku-based utilities | GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, Codeberg and other upstream repositories | No |
F-Droid describes itself as the app ecosystem 'where your user freedom comes first' and says it is maintained by volunteer contributors and funded through donations rather than run by a corporation, according to its own site. Aurora Store, listed on F-Droid as an unofficial free and open-source client for Google Play, lets people install the same APKs available on the official store while logging in with a personal account or anonymously, per its F-Droid package page.
Nine apps and utilities worth knowing
- F-Droid — a volunteer-run, donation-funded repository that distributes only free and open-source Android apps outside Google's control, according to its own website.
- Aurora Store — an open-source Google Play client that installs the same apps listed on Play, including without a Google account, per its F-Droid listing.
- Obtainium — tracks release pages on GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, APKPure, Aptoide and other sources and notifies users when a tracked app has a new version, according to its GitHub project page.
- ShizuStore — aggregates utility apps pulled from GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, Codeberg and other upstream sources into one catalog with permission details and changelogs, MakeUseOf reports.
- Canta — uses the Shizuku permission framework to remove preinstalled or unwanted apps without rooting the device, drawing on the Universal Debloat List, per MakeUseOf.
- Hail — freezes, disables or suspends installed apps through Shizuku or root access, according to MakeUseOf.
- Droid-ify — a Material Design-styled client for browsing and installing apps from F-Droid repositories with faster repository syncing, per Pocket-lint.
- NewPipe — a YouTube frontend that plays videos without Google Play Services, ads or the official app's tracking, according to Pocket-lint.
- Seal — downloads video and audio files from across the web and lets users adjust format or embed subtitles, Pocket-lint reports.
Why these tools need extra permissions
Several of the utilities above, including Canta and Hail, rely on Shizuku, a framework activated through Android's wireless debugging option on Android 11 and later that grants elevated permissions without rooting the device, as MakeUseOf explains. ShizuStore's catalog pages list each app's permissions and changelog so users can review them before installing, according to the same report.
Obtainium's GitHub page notes that for sources without an official update API, the app relies on scraping release pages for version information, a method its developers describe as more fragile than using a documented API because it can break when a website changes its layout.
Questions
- What is Shizuku and why do some utility apps need it?
- Shizuku is a permission framework activated through Android's wireless debugging option on Android 11 and later; it lets apps such as Canta and Hail request elevated system permissions without rooting the device, according to MakeUseOf.
- Do I need a Google account to use Aurora Store?
- No. Aurora Store's F-Droid listing states that users can log in with a personal account or use it anonymously to install apps from Google Play's catalog.
- What is the difference between F-Droid and Aurora Store?
- F-Droid distributes only open-source apps built from its own infrastructure, while Aurora Store connects to Google Play's servers to deliver the same APKs available in the official store, according to each platform's own description.
- Can Obtainium update apps automatically?
- Obtainium checks the release pages of apps a user adds and notifies them when a new version is available, but for sources without an official API it relies on web scraping, which its GitHub documentation says can be less reliable if a site's design changes.
- Where do ShizuStore's apps come from?
- MakeUseOf reports that ShizuStore pulls its catalog from GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, Codeberg and other upstream source-code repositories, listing permissions and changelogs for each app.
Sources
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